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Runtime: 6:53
0:07 Daimler Cuts Profit Forecast
0:37 Tesla Customers Volunteer to Help Sell Cars
1:15 Plenty of Electric Cars in Inventory
2:18 Renault Introduces the Triber In India
3:08 Ford Focus ST Updates
3:58 Weekend Racing Results
5:02 Bosch’s Integrated Power Brake
5:58 Can You Identify This Car?
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This is Autoline Daily reporting on the global automotive industry.
DAIMLER CUTS PROFIT FORECAST
For the third time in the last 12 months, Daimler is cutting its profit forecast. The automaker also said it is setting aside hundreds of millions of euros to pay for diesel emission violations but did not provide a specific amount. As a result, Daimler says its 2019 EBIT will be about the same as last year, after it previously forecasted a slight increase. The company’s shares fell 5% today after it lowered its earnings forecast.
TESLA CUSTOMERS VOLUNTEER TO HELP SELL CARS
Tesla is pushing deliveries of new cars to customers before this financial quarter ends. And the website Teslerati reports it’s getting a lot of help from existing customers. They’re volunteering to work at delivery centers, and it’s happening all over the world, including China. We think that in the history of the automotive industry it is unprecedented to see customers volunteer to help a car company. Tesla needs the help. Sales dropped dramatically in the first quarter, and Elon Musk promised analysts they’d be back on track by the end of this quarter.
PLENTY OF ELECTRIC CARS IN INVENTORY
Some EV advocates say that more people would be buying electric cars if they could get their hands on them, but they’re simply not available. That got us to look at inventory levels, and the numbers show there should be no problem getting an electric car. At the end of May, the Fiat 500e had 51 days’ worth of inventory and the BMW i3 had 54 days’. That’s a little below the 60 days of inventory that is considered normal for this time of year. But the Jaguar I-Pace had 79 days, the Nissan Leaf had 89 days and the Chevrolet Bolt had 110 days. That means they are plenty of electric cars available for anyone who wants to buy one.
| ELECTRIC CAR INVENTORY MAY 2019 | |
|---|---|
| Fiat 500e | 51 Days |
| BMW i3 | 54 |
| Jaguar I-PACE | 79 |
| Nissan LEAF | 89 |
| Chevy Bolt | 110 |
| Source: Wards Intelligence | |
RENAULT INTRODUCES THE TRIBER IN INDIA
Renault set a goal to double its sales in India over the next three years, so it just introduced an all-new, compact CUV. The Triber is a B-segment crossover that is designed and produced for the Indian market. It’s powered by a 1.0L 3-cylinder gasoline engine that makes about 70-horsepower and nearly 68 lb-ft of torque, which is fed through either a 5-speed manual or automatic transmission. The interior features a digital instrument cluster and an 8-inch infotainment screen. But the big story with the Triber is space. It’s less than 4-meters long, but has seating for up to 7 people. To put that in perspective, the Triber is more than 10-inches shorter than a Buick Encore and still fits seven.
FORD FOCUS ST UPDATES
Ford has drawn inspiration from the Ford GT, F-150 Raptor, Mustang and Fiesta ST to make the all-new Focus ST 12% more powerful and faster. That includes its Launch Control system, anti-turbo-lag technology and Ford’s first application of an electronic limited-slip differential to a front-wheel drive model. With its roughly 275-horsepower, 2.3L engine, the Focus ST is now capable of doing 0 to 100 km/h in 5.7-seconds, which is 0.8-seconds faster. It also has more stopping power than the Focus RS thanks to its 13-inch front brakes.
WEEKEND RACING RESULTS
In racing results over the weekend, Mercedes went one-two at the French Grand Prix, with Lewis Hamilton in front of Valteri Bottas. Mercedes has won every Formula One race this year and at this point in the season Lewis Hamilton looks like he’s cruising to another championship. In IndyCar, Alexander Rossi took over the lead at the first corner then ran away and hid from the rest of the field in his Andretti-Honda. In NASCAR, Martin Truex powered his Toyota Camry to victory on the road course at Sonoma. And in NHRA, Steve Torrance took the Top Fuel win at the Summit Motorsports Park in Ohio with a speed of 323.27 miles an hour.
BOSCH’S INTEGRATED POWER BRAKE
The giant German supplier Bosch created what it calls an Integrated Power Brake. It not only enables greater fuel economy and can be used in automated driving, it can automatically stop you faster in an emergency situation. The system combines the traditional brake booster and electronic stability program into one component. And it’s all electric. Bosch did this because EVs and hybrids won’t always have vacuum available. When the driver pushes on the brake pedal, a sensor, senses how far your foot has gone and then uses that to build pressure at the brakes with an electric motor. It allows greater fuel economy by enabling regenerative braking, which allows electric motors to recharge batteries while the vehicle is slowing down. And it’s safer because the electric motor can build pressure much faster than the ESP unit.
CAN YOU IDENTIFY THIS CAR?
We really like getting pictures of Barn Finds and weird cars from you our viewers. And Dan McCammon sent us these pics of a car he ran across while bicycling on a back road in Prescott, Arizona. He wants us to identify what it is. Well, we have a guess but we need your help on this one. We think it’s probably a 1940 Buick sedan, but we’re counting on you experts out there to set the record straight.
But that wraps up today’s show, thanks for watching and we’ll see you again tomorrow.
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John McElroy is an influential thought leader in the automotive industry. He is a journalist, lecturer, commentator and entrepreneur. He created “Autoline Daily,” the first industry webcast of industry news and analysis.
